Sask. NDP promising to cut health care waste

The Saskatchewan NDP’s latest campaign promise on Sunday, they’re setting their sights on health care, specifically what it called the “bloated management.”

The party pledged to eliminate $25 million in health care upper management, and to put that money into creating front-line care positions like nurses and continuing care aids.

“We don’t need more highly paid bureaucrats and layers of management in our hospitals. We need more nurses and care workers to provide the care the people of Saskatchewan expect and deserve,” said NDP leader Cam Broten in a news release.

The NDP said that the number of managers in Saskatchewan health care grew by about 10 per cent between 2011 and 2014, estimating the cost at $25 million. The NDP also claimed that 225 front-line jobs in Prince Albert’s health region are being left intentionally vacant, and that internal documents show the Sask. Party is cutting 150 front-line workers in Regina’s health region, and that Saskatoon’s health region is bracing for job cuts.